Time

[Verse 1: Nature]
At the ripe age of 24, I done seen it all, done it all
Some dreams stay fresh and some are spoiled
Dealin' with time — winter, spring, summer, fall
It's crazy changes, is this that made me famous?
I've come a long way from Timbs, minimum wages
Stockin' caps, summer jobs, pockets flat
It's funny how my childhood idols now be coppin' crack
I ain't knockin' that, unfortunately, life's too short to see
It's only right we move accordingly at every second
I used to carry heavy weapons
Previously cocked, tucked in my shirt for every session
But hold up, a 2-6 bid made me grow up
Came home to the same damn dreams with no luck
And half the clique's strong, the other half moved on
Some with new lives and new wives, niggas live long
The foulest thing about time — it still ticks when you gone

[Verse 2: Nas]
For those who live the way I live, we came a long way
From wipin' cold outta eyelids to rap's hottest
Smokin' lye, let track guide us
Remember back then before MAC-10's, expensive bottles?
Had a sick mind, niggas taught me how to get mine
We'd often sip quarts, they'd get tossed at the spit line
To all niggas that the Lord seemed to gip for their time
While we plan to live forev', he had a different design
Is it safe to say, we all perish on the sacred day?
With my luck, soon as I reach the gate that make me pay
Pray, minutes go by, Indigo high
The specialist, decked out dark specs, finessin' it
Used to play catch-a-kiss
Same girls back then now leave us messages, a whole lot
Traveled to my old spot where we sold rock, although it's trifle
Ain't nothin' changed, just like time, it's all a cycle

[Verse 3: AZ]
Yo, wake up to the world, stay in charge of your dreams
Keep your vision, focus, get wise, enlargen your C.R.E.A.M
Marketin' schemes, so many in the dark is unseen
Caught in between, perhaps rap was a fortunate thing
Forced to be king from hustlin', supportin' them fiends
Bustin' guns, I had no remorse as a teen
Rockin' birth stones, my first skid bid, nurse the dome
It hurts to zone now I've realized I'm on this Earth alone
Time ticks, devilish minds design tricks
Leave you blind quick and cause you to die behind shit
Mathematics, master 120, I'm Asiatic
Amazed with magic 'cause it's illusions that made me savage
Life change once you establish the right game
Love the night rain, found a new way to fight pain
Clocks never stop, it's all a race to the top
Tryin' to freeze time, that's why I iced the face of my watch